


Who Will You Find Underneath My Skin?

by burntotears



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Count of Monte Cristo AU, M/M, mentions of Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall, unhappily ever after
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-05
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-31 13:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1032157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burntotears/pseuds/burntotears
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles and Isaac have been together for what feels like ages, but when Stiles gets in a mysterious accident that leaves all the traces that he’s dead but no body - well, it’s easy enough to see that Isaac is devastated.  </p><p>Years pass and though he still has breakfast every Sunday with Stiles’ dad, the wound is beginning to scab over slowly.  The sheriff tells him that he needs to move on and stop carrying Stiles’ ghost on his shoulders, but it’s hard not to when the man he was in love with dies unexpectedly.</p><p>Almost five years after Stiles’ death (to the day), a nice guy named Scott moves into Beacon Hills and he and Isaac hit it off.  Scott is a breath of fresh air and for once Isaac finds that he is enjoying himself and not thinking of Stiles at every turn.  He isn’t sure how it happens, but he realizes it eventually - he’s falling for Scott and he’s falling hard.  Scott is a lot like Stiles, but different in many ways too, and if he doesn’t think too hard about it then he can believe that he’s gotten a second chance at life.</p><p>But Isaac knew better.  As soon as things seem to kick off with Scott, it all comes crashing down around him in one, unbelievable revelation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who Will You Find Underneath My Skin?

**Author's Note:**

> This was written to accompany [my graphic](http://burntotears.tumblr.com/post/66062514641) for stisaac week on tumblr.

“S-Stiles… wha- what is this? Who are you? Who the fuck do you think you are? Why? Why are you doing this to me?” Isaac felt his back hit the wall, but he couldn’t remember being anywhere near it.

Five minutes ago the man standing in front of him was Scott McCall, the guy he thought he was falling in love with. The man standing in front of him now was just another of Isaac’s nightmares. He’d be haunted by Stiles his entire life. 

“It’s been a while, but surely you still recognize me, Isaac. Or do you only remember me with my clothes off, is that it?”

“Wha- what the fuck? How is this - you aren’t real! You’re dead! You died! I saw it!”

“Bullshit! You saw nothing! You saw a jeep splattered with blood and no body and you assumed! You _all_ assumed! And you just fucking _gave up_. You gave up on me, Isaac…” Stiles’ voice cracked even though his face held anger that Isaac had never seen in him before.

“Assumed? How is it assumption? I looked for _years_ , Stiles, what did you expect me to do? How did you expect me to find you? You think that if your Dad couldn’t find you that I could? He’s the best cop I know!” Isaac didn’t know when he’d started to believe this living ghost… maybe he didn’t, but seeing Stiles again was a dream he’d never allowed himself to have and this - this was the next best thing.

“Right. Sunday breakfast with the sheriff. You failed to tell your new boyfriend Scott how he was your dead ex’s father! Why are you still spending time with him, Isaac, why? You abandoned me, why the hell would you still be circling around my father?”

“Because we lost everything together, Stiles! We lost _you_! And the only way that we can even begin to have a semblance of a normal life again is to share in that misery together… where the _fuck_ have you been, Stiles? Five years, six months… where the fuck have you been and why did you come back as _that_?”

“I came back to see if what I had heard was true. That everyone had just accepted my so-called death and moved on. I came to see you for myself.” The anger in Stiles’ eyes was apparent, but he wasn’t the only one who was angry now.

“Where have you _been_?” Isaac demanded again. He couldn’t seem to get past that question.

“You have no idea, Isaac. You have no idea what I went through. It was hell.” Stiles was carrying ghosts behind his eyes just like Isaac.

“So tell me. You think I won’t understand? My life has been hell for a long time now.” First his father, then all the werewolf shit and _then_ losing Stiles. It seemed neverending.

“I want to… but I don’t know you anymore. You fell for Scott just as easily as you fell for me. You moved on so easily-”

“Easy? You think that this has been _easy_? Fuck you, Stiles! This has been the hardest five years of my _life_! And how _dare_ you! How dare you come back here and question my devotion to you, like I haven’t been carrying you around this entire time! I would’ve dropped everything to know where you were and to have you again, Stiles! I would’ve dropped _Scott_ the very _second_ I knew that you were back, that you were back for _me_... but you aren’t. You’re not back for anyone but yourself. That’s all you care about is how everyone has been doing without you - you don’t even _care_.” Isaac wasn’t certain when the tears started to flow, but he was crying steadily now.

Stiles took a step toward Isaac and faltered when Isaac tried to back away. There was hurt in his eyes now, in both of their eyes, and Stiles looked lost. “Isaac, no, I just… I wanted to know and… but I still - I still love you, please don’t do this, baby-”

“Don’t call me that! Don’t you call me that!” Isaac flared up, his eyes going golden for a brief moment. “You said that you wanted me to be happy, Stiles, that I _deserved_ it, remember? You convinced me that I did, so when I was half-dead after losing you, your dad had to convince me _again_... I didn’t think it was even possible for me to ever be happy again. And instead of you coming back to me, saying you’re alive and well, you come back as someone else and fucking play with my emotions like this? Was it so bad that you turned into a spiteful asshole? Was it so important to make us feel awful about ourselves some more when all we’ve ever _felt_ has been terrible?”

“No… no, no, no, Isaac, you _do_ deserve to be happy, I want you to be happy, I wanted you to be while I was gone, I just - I _hated_ knowing that you and my dad were still here and alive and living your lives like I was dead, it consumed me while I was trapped there and I was just so full of anger and hatred-” even though he was saying those things, all Stiles conveyed was confusion and loss. He didn’t look angry anymore, he looked afraid.

“That’s your problem, Stiles. We’ve been full of grief and you’ve been fucking _angry_ at us for things that we couldn’t control. You came here looking for revenge and all we have been wanting is closure. Well… I think I have that now,” Isaac said, sighing. He was resigned, he felt like he had gotten what he needed and he couldn’t stay there any longer. “Goodbye, Stiles.”

“Isaac, no, wait!” Stiles called after him, but Isaac couldn’t look at Stiles anymore. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to look at him again.


End file.
